Chapter 20
The Main Event
Dima gives birth to twin girls. She names them Tessa and Mira.
Tessi the Gypsy thought it was significant that the circumstances surrounding the birth of the twins were the same when Mima Tessi, the first child, was born.
Dima went into labor at the Koloshko brother’s home while Tessi the Gypsy was visiting and, after Chuck Koloshko chases Uncle Vlashko out of their home, Tessi delivers the babies. After bringing the two girls into the world, she tells Dima,
“Always mek sure I em here vhen you hev baby. Eef I breeng baby –baby veel be alvays helty ent safe. Ent mek sure Vlashko ees comink!”
Dima and her husband, Handsome Darko now wonder how they will afford to raise three children on his small salary from the factory.
A few days after the birth of the twins Handsome Darko walks around Stanktown trying to figure out how to make more money. As he heads up Benjamin Street he sees Tiny Dinko and Lido Buonangeli. As Darko approaches the two men, Tiny Dinko points to Darko and whispers something to Lido. Lido looks at Darko and smiles broadly.
“Hey buddy congratulations you hit it big –REAL BIG!” Lido says as he grasps Darko by the shoulders and shakes him. Darko recoils in fear. He thinks he did something wrong. He doesn’t seem to realize Lido’s tactile greeting is not from anger. And since he doesn’t understand a word Lido is saying because he speaks so fast, he looks at Tiny Dinko who is also smiling and asks him, in his native language, what is going on.
Dinko replies in their common lingo, “You won the big prize Darko, you won a lot of money!”
At that moment, Darko doesn’t know how he could have won any money. Since his wife became pregnant for the second time in as many years, he stopped buying the Irish Sweepstakes tickets months ago.
“Maybe a meestake.” He thinks.
“I hope you still have that ticket pal!” Lido says, “Cause that thing is worth ten thousand bucks!”
Darko thinks about when he last bought a ticket. He then remembers the time Dima went out with baby Mima and visited Acker’s store. During her visit, Acker had Johnnie Buonangeli bring over some of the tickets.
Darko takes out his wallet and starts going through all the little folded scraps of paper that bulge in the sleeves and pouches of the billfold. He begins to stuff some of the paper in his shirt pocket while frantically searching for the ticket. Tiny Dinko sees this and cups his huge hands together so his friend could use it to deposit some of the many pieces of paper. Finally, after unfolding a tiny, green tinged piece of paper, Darko sees the familiar etching of the Irish nurse. He hands the ticket to Lido and excitedly asks, “Ees dees teeket Meester Leedoh?”
Lido pulls a small spiral notebook from his the breast pocket of his tan sport coat.
He runs his finger down a list of numbers while shifting his eyes back and forth from the ticket to the notebook.
“Ah ha!” Lido shouts, “I knew it! I knew it I knew it I knew it! See Darko here’s your name right here and you can see that I put a little gold star next to it to show that you were de’ winner!”
Lido takes the ticket and slips it into his notebook and puts it back in his pocket. He looks at Darko and taps him on the chest and says in his usual rat-a-tat-tat delivery,
“Look Darko you can’t go around telling anyone about this you understand? Cause these tickets are illegal in this country and you could get in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out about this and I can get in a lotta trouble too. So you just let me handle this for now. First thing, I’m gonna have all yer money for you tonight. It’s gonna be cash –all twenty dollar bills. Now you better put it all in a safe place cause I don’t want no one ta’ rob ya’ or nothin’ cause yer a real nice guy and all dat and I just heard that you and your wife had twins!
Whew! Buddy you’ve been really busy haven’t you?
Anyway Darko, I’m gonna get you your money tonight and I’m going to let Dinko walk you home so nothin’ will happen to you. But in the meantime, just come on over to the club tonight and see me…make it about eight o’clock and then I’ll get you the money. Lemme see now twenty dollars into ten thousand is gonna come out to…dah dah dah…that’s 500 twenty dollar bills my friend!” Lido gives Darko a pat on the back.
Darko is stunned. Suddenly the idea of raising three children on his factory salary doesn’t seem so daunting after all. He looks skyward and makes the sign of the cross. Dinko also crosses himself and mutters, “gospo…!”
Darko knows a little something about gambling etiquette in America, so he looks at Lido, smiles and asks, “How motch I shood geef you?”
“Give me?” Lido replies, “Ah yes, the courtesy. Well for most people who win like this I’m gonna ask for 10 per cent, but seeings how you and your missus just had a couple of new bambini’s… uhhh…I dunno…gimme two hundred and we’ll call it even…how’s that?”
“Two hon-drett ohnlee?” Darko says in amazement and shakes Lido’s hand in gratitude. “Tenk you Meester Lido so motch!”
Lido waves off Darko’s gesture and gives Tiny Dinko a playful slap on the arm and points to him with his thumb.
“Your countryman and me are gonna make a lot of money together!” Lido says,
“This guy is gonna be the biggest thing to ever hit professional wrestling!”
Darko is puzzled by what Lido just said, so he turns to Tiny Dinko for clarification.
“I’m going to wrestle for money.” He says to Darko in their language. “Lido thinks we can make lots of money this way. I hope he’s right because I want to bring my momma here to live with me.”
“You be careful my friend,” Darko says and then good-naturedly advises him, “Just let them hit you in the face…can’t do any more damage!”
Dinko laughs at the jibe and gives Darko a slap on the back that sends him stumbling.
“Awright yous why don’t ya’ break it up…what is this, some old country ritual?” Lido says. He then takes Dinko by the arm, “Come on Dinko, we gotta get you fitted for your wrestling costume.”
Before leaving, Lido tells Darko, “Just stop by tonight at around eight and come see me –I’ll get you sorted out.”
As they walk away, Lido turns and tells Darko, “Hey, don’t forget to duke the old lady –Old lady Acker, don’t forget to give her a taste!”
The next day, Acker is consoling one of the women from the neighborhood in her backroom sanctuary.
“I can’t believe he spent his entire paycheck at the bar!” The woman tearfully tells Acker, “And now we’re gonna be three months behind in the rent and the landlord is gonna throw us out!”
Acker holds the woman’s icy cold hand in her hands.
“Poor lil’ thing!” Acker says to herself, “worried herself so much about money, she ain’t hardly getting any circulation goin’ into her hands!”
“Lissen missus,” Acker says as she pours a cup full of tea for the woman. “Miracles dey got a funny way uh happenin’ so why doncha just sit tight and lemme take care of some business in front fer a minute.”
Acker turns to leave the room but stops to ask the woman,
“How much money ya’ behind on yer rent dere missus?”
“It’s three months rent,” the woman says with tears running down her cheeks, “a hundred and ninety five dollars!”
Acker leaves the room and closes the door behind her. At that moment, the store’s front door opens with the usual chime of the little brass bell attached to the inside.
“Hey lookit you mister hotshot!” Acker says as Handsome Darko walks in.
“Darko smiles and takes off his worn gray fedora,
“Tenk cue Meesees Ecker for vhen you geef teeket to my vife!”
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a handful of bills. He counts them out on the counter. “Von – doo – tree – forh – vive – seeks…”
He puts down 10 twenty-dollar bills. “Dees ees goot, yes?” He asks.
“Aw dat’s real good Darko!” Acker says, “Dat’s really gen-rous a’ you!”
Acker reaches for a couple of packs of cigarettes from the shelf behind the counter.
“Here, why doncha take dese…but do me a favor willya’?”
Darko takes the cigarettes and puts them in the pocket of his overcoat.
“Vaht I shood do?” he asks.
“Now dat ya’ got three little ones in yer home don’t go smokin’ dese in front of dem, ya’ know what I mean? De’ smoke ain’t too good for dem little babies to be breathin’…okay?”
Darko nods and says, “I ohnlee smoke cee-geh-rett et vork –not home. Vife don’t like smell!”
“Okay well dat’s good ta’ hear.” Acker says as she leads Darko to the front door.
“Tanks again fer de’ courtesy Darko…it’s gonna come in real handy!” She opens the door for Darko and he bows slightly toward Acker, puts on his hat and walks out. Acker takes the bills and crumples them into a ball and then slips them into the pocket of her long black dress. She shuffles down the aisle of the store and heads for the backroom.
“Missus ya’ ain’t gonna believe what just happent!” Acker says as she enters the backroom. The woman is seated on the big, comfortable chair and still wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Lissen missus,” Acker says as she begins her story, “so I’m just standing out front minding my own bizness when suddenly dis gut o’ wind blows some paper an’ junk down de’ street in front of de’ store. So now I got all dis garbage in front an’ I wanna get my broom ta’ sweep it all up. Anyways, I see dis ball a junk just laying dere and I picks it up…only ting missus it ain’t no ball a junk!” She pulls the balled up wad of bills from her pocket and begins to peel off the bills. As she separates the bills she lays them on the little table in front of the woman.
“Lookit dat missus, dere’s two hunnert bucks right in front of yous!”
The woman begins to cry more. She looks at Acker through her tears and says,
“How is this going to help me?”
“Just take de’ money and den’ ev’ryting’s gonna be okay!” Acker tells her as she pushes the stack of bills toward the woman.
“My goodness!” The woman says and pushes the money back, “I can’t take this! This belongs to someone else!”
“Well it don’t belong to